The Morning After
by MandyTrekkie
Summary: Somehow, Tony's plans seemed to have worked out for the better. But for how long? And can Pepper handle five more superheroes under one roof?


Characters and locations belong to Marvel, which in turn belongs to Disney. All hail the Mouse!

* * *

Virginia 'Pepper' Potts blinked the sleep from her eyes and stretched luxuriously across the silk sheets of their California king-sized mattress. A quick glance of the sideboard's digital display confirmed her own natural clock; it was five minutes after seven on a gloriously quiet Saturday morning. There were no blaring sirens or warnings from JARVIS that a fire had broken out or someone had been grievously injured through misconduct. Pepper gave a small sigh of relief and smiled to herself.

They had did it. The team widely known as the Avengers had survived their first night living in Stark Tower together, and all her unspoken fears were for naught.

Potts pulled herself up and threw her legs over the side of the massive bed, yawning quietly. Beside her Tony stirred, mumbled something about loss of warmth, then flipped over onto his side like a large child and curled up with his pillow, falling asleep again almost instantly. Pepper was definitely the morning person of the couple, something that came with ease after a decade of working for the genius-billionaire-playboy-philianthropist, if only just because one of them had to be up to run Stark Industries at a decent hour. Seeing Tony like this, though, brought another, sweeter smile to her face and she had to suppress the urge to ruffle her fingers through his dark hair lest she disturb him again.

He was definitely cutest when he was asleep and not being a smart ass and blowing stuff up on the top ten floors of their building.

Pepper left Tony to get his beauty sleep and went for a shower and to pick out something from the casual side of her closet, which was sadly the smaller side. JARVIS informed her that there were no pressing issues, Avengers related or otherwise, and that their schedule remained clear just as they planned.

Everyone naturally assumed, with good reason, that there would be issues with a group of super-beings moving in suddenly under the same roof, so any and all plans were put on hold until any immediate kinks in their new living situation could be found and, with any hope, worked out before things got blown out of proportion. Or blown up. That was a possibility as well.

Pepper herself had thought it would have been more difficult for Tony to convince the others that this was actually a 'good idea.' It had been almost all he would talk about for three months after the Chitauri incident while the reconstruction of both New York City and Stark Tower took place, but of course by then the Avengers had separated in their own ways.

The two SHIELD agents were the first approached by Tony with the offer, and after some negotiations that may or may not have involved copious amounts of vodka they had conceded with conditions. First, Natalie- or was it Natasha now? That was a problem with spies that infiltrate your company- would only agree if Clint would, if only to make sure he didn't piss off the Hulk and get himself splattered on the sidewalk below. Second, SHIELD missions not involving the Avengers would take precedent and, third, they would come if Fury would give them permission to stay off site.

Tony readily agreed to the first and begrudgingly to the second. It took some time to gain Director Fury's approval for two of his best to move off site, let alone into Stark's home, but eventually it was green lighted, though they had yet to take up their own private floors in the Tower. Tony had told Pepper it was something to do with Madripor and, to quote him verbatim, "being Super Secret Agent Man. And Woman."

Next was Captain Rogers, whom Pepper vaguely remembered hearing stories about in high school history class. He had returned from a motorcycle road trip across America only three weeks ago when he turned up at Stark Tower. Tony had greeted him with open arms and immediately popped the question of when he could move in. Once he was over the initial surprise, Steve agreed that the idea had its merits and he would take the offered floor, thanking Stark for his generosity before leaving to make personal arrangements. Tony, being Tony, waved it off as no big deal but Pepper knew he was secretly pleased.

As for Steve, as she insisted on calling him even after he continued to call her Miss Potts, Pepper figured he must have been very lonely on the road, and that had only amplified the sense of loss he must have felt waking up in a new century. She could not even begin imagine finding out that everyone she held dear had passed on, while she had remained frozen in time. He was a courageous man for getting out of bed every day and facing this strange new world, and Pepper thought it would be enlightening to see things from his point of view as he discovered them.

Thor had been the real wild card. No one had expected him back so soon after escorting his deranged brother Loki and the Tesserect back to their home planet. He did return though, not long after Steve had finished bringing the rest of his modest possessions, landing directly on the top of the Tower with all the flourish a god could muster...

...Which involved a lot of lightning, a large funnel made of clouds and, surprisingly enough, rainbows.

After they had calmed a panicked public and fielded a number of urgent calls from SHIELD, Thor greeted his fellow Avengers with enthusiasm and proceeded to brush a chaste kiss across Pepper's knuckles. That had earned a blushing grin from the "fair maiden Virginia" and a death glare from Tony that did nothing to dampen the Asgardian's disposition. He announced that his father had used the power of the Tesserect to repair the bridge between Asgard and Earth, allowing him free travel between as he pleased.

Tony, after being sure that Pepper wouldn't run away with the Norse blond (though it had been tempting for a moment, she was woman enough to admit it), then brought up the point that Thor would need somewhere to stay while visiting Earth and that the Helicarrier was no place for royalty from any planet. Thor guffawed and clapped the billionaire on the back, causing a moment of panic for Pepper herself when she had thought he had broken Tony's spine, and said he would be honored to stay within his friend's home.

Pepper sighed again as she brushed through her hair and checked over her appearance in the mirror one last time. Could she be optimistic enough to hope that things would continue problem free like this?

"We'll see," she whispered as she checked over herself one last time in the mirror.

* * *

A quick elevator ride down to the central commons area did nothing to disturb Pepper's peaceful state of mind. Even the tinkling of light jazz elevator music was pleasant rather than just another annoying background noise to the everyday hectic business that came with the job of Stark CEO. She really could get used to this.

Each teammate had the equivalent of a high end luxury apartment complex on various floors, complete with private kitchenettes if they chose to eat alone, but Tony had all but mandated that they should at least spend one meal in the commons. He quoted the need for team comrade, but Pepper figured he just really wanted to hang with his new playmates more often. There wasn't much complaint, the commons' kitchen rivaled any five star commercial kitchen and the ceiling to floor windows provided spectacular views of the sunrise. The entire room was lit in a soft orange light that would almost convert anyone into a morning person.

Someone had already beaten her to breakfast, however. Pepper found Bruce Banner sitting at one end of the long dining table, peacefully enjoying a bowl of what looked like Frosted Flakes and this morning's newspaper. Bruce had been living in the tower the longest, haven been convinced after the Battle to stay a little longer in civilization by Tony.

She knew about his little green problem, but also heard first hand from Tony how much that side of the unassuming physicist seemed to adore Iron Man. Pepper was willing to cut the Hulk some slack for saving her boyfriend's life, but that didn't mean she couldn't keep the repair crew on speed dial.

At least the insurance companies knew nothing about their house guests.

"Good morning," The only-sometimes-rage monster gave Pepper a serene smile over his simple breakfast.

"Morning, Doctor Banner." Potts returned the smile, then inhaled deeply. "Is that fresh brewed coffee?"

Bruce nodded. "Its not mine. I, uh... try to stay away from anything that's not decaf."

On cue Steve appeared from around the corner, a light sheen of sweat on his brow and a damp towel around his shoulders. Sometimes Pepper envied those people who could get in a good workout before their first cup, even if they were Super Soldiers. "Good morning, Miss Potts."

Nope, the old fashioned military in him still wasn't going to call her by her first name, but at least the sincere dimples on his cheeks evened it out. At least she could use it to her advantage.

"Good morning, Steve. Any extra you could spare?" She nodded to the hot pot of caffeine that was percolating.

Steve looked mortified as his manners kicked in. "Oh, yes ma'am." He began to fumble through the overhead cabinets looking for an extra mug which he then generously filled with dark roasted coffee and passed it over.

"Thank you," Pepper gratefully cupped the mug in her hands and held it under her nose, breathing deeply. This was nice. She really, _really_ could get used to this...

"Is that coffee I smell? Any for me?"

Not even realizing her eyes had closed, she opened them to find Tony had woken up and followed her out of bed after all. He strode behind the counters where they were standing.

"Mm. Morning, honey." Tony swooped in for a quick peck on Pepper's lips, then without stopping continued forward and snatched Steve's mug off the counter top just as finished pouring the rest of the pot in it. "Thanks a bunch, dear."

Steve frowned as his morning coffee continued to travel with Tony around the island and back across to the table, where Bruce had quietly finished his cereal and had just began to unfold the paper.

"That the 'Times'?" Without waiting for an answer, Tony deftly plucked the newspaper away from Banner and sat down with his stolen goods on the opposite side of the table.

Bruce dropped his now empty hands and sighed deeply. "I was reading that," he halfheartedly protested.

"S'okay, we'll share," Tony assured his brother in science. "You like the funny papers, Big Guy?"

Pepper had to suppress a chuckle. She was far more accustomed to Tony's morning behavior to worry about it. Bruce, however, seemed to resign to defeat and declined, instead settled for pouring another bowl of Flakes. Beside her Steve shook his head at the display as he began to measure out more ground coffee for another pot.

Triumphant with his spoils, Tony turned back to grin at Pepper. He winked then took a long draw from the stolen mug, only to spit it right back with a cough and sputter. Tony's eyes grew wide as he tried to wipe the burning liquid from his chin. "Dude! What the _hell_?!"

Bruce had a similar expression on his face, and Pepper frowned in concern. She followed their gaze over to the elevator doors.

"What's wrong- Oh my god!" Pepper jumped in shock, a little of her own coffee spilling to the floor.

There in the entrance stood Thor. _All_ of Thor. The Thunderer was in the nude, soaking wet and dripping puddles into the plush white carpet. Rather than be embarrassed or try to hide himself, he had a very grave expression on his face as his eyes searched the room.

"Friend Stark!" Thor boomed. "There is a problem with the bathing chambers you have provided!"

Bruce tried to look anywhere but directly at the scene, while a red-faced Steve still held an empty coffee pot, unsure of what to do. Tony, who was still sputtering, struggled to ask what was on everyone's mind but no one was willing to say.

"W-what, uh, what happened exactly? And why are you naked?"

Thor shook his head, blonde Norse locks shaking free of water drops that ran down his perfectly chiseled pecs. Pepper tried not to stare at them.

"Your faceless servant informed me of how this 'shower' device you have on Midgard worked, therefore I ordered the water to be hot for my daily absolution. Perhaps I was too enthusiastic for it was as if I had stepped into the fires of Hel! I demanded the temperature be lowered but then it went too far."

His whole body shivered with the remembered cold. Everyone in the room flinched with the movement. "Ai, like the winds of Jotun were biting into my skin! In surprise, I did not notice this strange slippery rock that someone had carelessly left in the chambers. It was swept under my footing and I fell against your water spout. Now it will not stop spewing forth with its rage!"

He held out his hand, which was holding the offending bar of soap. "The lack of your servants' vigilance is surely a threat, Stark. We were lucky this time, but you must urge them to be more careful with what they leave lying around!"

The room was silent as Thor finished his epic tale of battle with the shower. Pepper was sure this was now one of the most mortifying experiences she has had since working at Stark Industries, and that was an amazing feat in itself.

Tony was the first to recover. "All right," he drew the words out slowly as he addressed the put out god. "All right. That part is completely reasonable. One hundred percent logical. Thank you for sharing your concerns with the group, but... _W__hy_ are you still _naked_?"

Thor's face scrunched up in thought as water continued to pool around his feet. It didn't look like it had occurred to him to get dressed before finding Tony.

"Okay, that's it then. New rule, no nudity at the breakfast table." Pepper handed her coffee back to a still shell shocked Steve as she moved into action. She snatched up the largest tea towel they had from a drawer and tossed it at the naked god. "Please, Thor, cover yourself up and go get dressed before you come back."

Thor flinched at her tone as he sheepishly caught the towel. "Of course... Forgive me, Lady Potts." He draped the bit of cloth as best he could before shuffling back out of the room. The other three men fell back into still silence as all eyes then moved to Pepper.

Pepper sighed. At least the peace and serenity was nice while it lasted...


End file.
